From the Big Screen to Our Everyday Lives

Sometimes, We All Just Need a Day Off

We all know this iconic movie scene. The boring Economics teacher is standing in front of his uninterested class trying to take role before he begins lecturing. After going through the list of names, he finally reaches the name, “Ferris Bueller.” Due to Bueller being absent from class AGAIN, the monotone teacher proceeds in questioning to the class, one of the most well known quotes in modern movies, “Bueller?…Bueller?…Bueller?”

Doesn’t ring a bell? Not a problem! Sit back, relax, make some popcorn, and allow me to tell you about one of the best movie classics of all time, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

Taking place in Chicago during the late 1980’s, mischievous High Schooler, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), does exactly what the title of this movie entails. He takes a day off from school. However, there’s one main problem about Ferris taking a day off.

HE TAKES DAYS OFF ESSENTIALLY EVERY WEEK!

But how does he get away with this? To start, Ferris is well liked by everyone at his school. “The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads – they all adore him. They think he’s a righteous dude.” However, even these closest classmates of Ferris do not know that he’s constantly skipping school, but rather, think that he is deathly ill.

Furthermore, he has his parents completely fooled. Upon them checking on him while he is in bed, he constantly comes up with a new excuse for illness. Whether it’s a severe stomach ache, a chronic headache, or clammy hands, his parent’s believe him every time. When his parents even come home from work to visit him, he even has pre-recorded noises of coughing, sneezing, and snoring that activate while his parents visit his room. Also, he even goes as far to setting up a contraption with various house hold objects to move a mannequin in his bed whenever his door opens, just to create the illusion that it’s actually him. Meanwhile, Ferris makes the most of his day and travels the city with his best friend, Cameron (Alan Ruck) and the love of his life, Sloan (Mia Sara).

I definitely know that my parents would never be this gullible when dealing with my health, but have any of you ever done anything extreme to persuade to your parents that you were severely sick?

But not everyone in the movie feels empathy for Ferris Bueller, as there are two characters who see through Ferris’ bullshit. They happen to be his sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) and his Principal, Mr. Rooney (Jeffery Jones). Both are fed up with Ferris being able to take the easy way out and are both determined to catch him red handed.

To summarize without ruining the movie, the entire duration of the film occurs over a one day span, and the movie shows how Ferris takes advantage of his day off. Whether it’s by sitting poolside with a cold drink and good company, or eating at a fancy restaurant, or driving a luxurious sports car, or even being in a parade, Ferris makes sure that his day off, is one to remember.

With this idea in mind, it can help us realize something to take away from this film.

This is definitely a movie that you should watch if you haven’t seen it already. Aside from being a light-hearted comedy with great laughs throughout, I think what I like most about this movie is that Ferris encourages us to live life the way he does; to the fullest. Now I’m not saying to fake an illness and skip continuous days of school, but we as humans, who live a short life, should not be afraid to take risks, try something new, or even create a little havoc. Too many times in our lives, we see people who die alone because of chances they didn’t take, or live a life full of regrets that they wish they could go back and change.

Ferris shatters this concept by doing the opposite, because like Ferris states in the movie,

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

2 Responses

Man, when I saw that you were discussing “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” for your first blog post, I was legitimately hyped. This movie has been an all-time classic in my family, and it still makes me laugh to this day, despite the fact that I’ve probably seen it more than 10 times.

Exactly like you said, Ferris Bueller is a funny, thoughtful, goofy, and penetrating film that really encapsulates what it means to “live life to the fullest.” I really love that expression – it’s so subjective, yet in so many ways, also can applied to each and everyone of us. I think it’s really important to remember as we start to transition into college life, since college is such a great opportunity to try new experiences and really live a little.

This movie is hands down one of my all time favorites. I first saw it with my dad when I was little and I have been able to quote it for years. Just like many other people, I have faked being sick to try and get out of school, however they were not very successful. The most fun I’ve ever had on a day off from school was when my father pulled me out of school to go and see Spectre last fall. And I believe that you are right in thinking that more people should live their lives like Ferris does. Too many people look back on their life with regret and that shouldnt happen. I really enjoyed reading this post, and keep up the good work.